Forever and Ever
by adventure-timer225
Summary: (A Love That Lasts Forever revised) Isabella Marie Dwyer is the runaway from Forks. She travels to Chicago for her new life away from her past. That is, until she finds Edward Masen, when the Spanish Influenza makes its way to the city.


_**A/N:** Hello, friends! This is the first chapter to the improved version of ALTLF. I hope it is better though. The original confused me, like, a lot. I didn't know why things were happening and the reasons were just like... wut. I'm actually doing this to all my stories, so ya. Anyway, welcome to the ALTLF that makes me comfortable with writing whimsical stories again. :D_

_Boop._

* * *

Chapter 1: Another Beginning

I ran until I was safely outside of the small town. I couldn't stop to rest and risk anyone catching me. Luckily, I lived on the outskirts of Forks in Washington, and I didn't fall on my face until I was safe and away. They couldn't find me- or at least they would have a hard time to- in the forest. I was well hidden behind the thick trees, only carrying some food, water, some stolen money, and an extra pair of clothes in my small pack. I didn't know how long I was going to be gone, or if I would ever come back. I didn't want to go back though, not this time. If I did, my life would be much worse than it already is.

I couldn't take it anymore. I would run until I was in a completely different state, I had enough money to take a train. As I sat behind the biggest tree I could find, I contemplated on my plan to survive.

I could change my name so nobody could recognize it. My last name was pretty popular in certain places.

My mother, Renee, and her new husband, Phil Dwyer were the richest people in the town. She remarried after my real father, Charlie Swan, died before I was born. I'm pretty sure the word about them was passed around. Everyone knew the Swans. They knew about every detail in Renee and Phil's life. They knew everything except for me.

Of course, they have seen me around. To them, I was the poor child of a grieving mother, solely helping her with chores she could not handle anymore because she was sick with heartache over the dead hero of the town. The new husband was the support, helping her in every way possible. Our neighbors said she was so in love with him that her sorrow was finally blinded by the blooming attraction.

And from that time on I was ignorant, ungrateful, selfish. That was how I was known here. But not anymore.

I did it.

I finally got away.

Mother was probably too occupied to care right now. She probably didn't even see me tip toe out to the backyard.

It was settled, I would be from Isabella Marie Dwyer to Bella Swan. It was not much of a change but I didn't want anything to do with Dwyer. It reminded me too much of _them_. At least Swan held the honor of my father. And I liked the name Bella.

The next thing I thought of doing was getting a place to live and where. All I knew is that I needed to be far away from Forks and never come back. So I would travel. And for money I would have to find some place to work wherever I go.

The sun was almost setting, so I decided to run until the sun was gone and the moon took its place in the sky. I ran along the line between the forest and the road so I wouldn't get lost, making sure I hid behind enough trees so nobody could spot me, for I was still near Forks. As soon as the people passed by, becoming little dots in the distance, I emerged from the forest with a tattered, dirty, white maids-dress and twigs in my hair from tripping so many times. I must have looked like someone in a horror legend.

As I traveled farther, I found the railroad tracks and walked along them, slightly hidden away in case passing trains flew by. The sun was almost set, orange, pink, and purple illuminating the sky around the sun. I found a large fallen tree. It was far enough from the tracks and large enough to hide me, so I lay my bag on the slanted side so I could rest my head on it, settling on my back. I took off my jacket and draped it over my body as a blanket.

I looked up at the sky, seeing the darkness of the night settle in, but no stars were shining through the clouds of rainy Forks. I asked my mother why she and my biological father picked to live in a dreary, sad looking, small town when I was younger, and they told me it was because it was where they first met. But she told me this before I was old enough to start doing housework and became their slave and servant.

I pushed the past memories aside. I didn't want to think about my parents, or how they treated me. I was going to start my life over, another beginning in a different place. I was no longer Isabella Marie Dwyer. I was no longer part of the Dwyer Family. I was going to be a new and completely different person.

And with that thought, I fell asleep in the forest, dreaming of the future I could now have without a hint of the past following me there.

/\/\/\

I woke up to the sound of a train horn blaring through the trees. The birds flew away in their flocks, frightened by the sudden sound. The sun was rising, the clouds were settled in, and the forest was filled with the sounds of moving animals.

I needed to keep moving. I still wasn't far enough from Forks, and Phil and Renee would have noticed that they didn't receive their breakfast as usual. They would notice that the mansion wasn't as clean as it should be every morning. They would notice that I wasn't any where in the big house working.

Fortunately for me, it did not really matter to anyone in town that I was gone. Really, only Mother and Phil wanted me around so they could show off their money and attend dinner parties everyday. Only if my mother wished upon it would they search, but not without telling I was a lost cause already. And they are too caught up with money and business to actually search for me by themselves. But I couldn't take any risks of anyone from Forks finding me. I would much rather be alone and care for myself than go back to the mansion and work continuously with the rumors about me flying around town.

When I had everything packed, which wasn't that much, I started walking along the track again, and once I was far enough, I would take a train to a much farther place where I could start over. I decided to at least walk until I was in the next city or two, just in case. Even though I loathed Phil and Renee for what they did, I knew why they did it. They have built a whole life that was perfect for them, but I was the only obstacle in their way of having no responsibility. Better to make me useful around the house than nothing at all. I left, it was how everyone could win.

I didn't know how long it would take to walk across two cities with the money I had taken from Phil's "secret" emergency stash while he wasn't around yesterday. I took 5 hundred dollars, not knowing the prices of trains or food or a small house, I've never actually bought something for myself. The food and water I brought with me was already running low, and I didn't know if there were any stores in the middle of nowhere for people who ran away and do not want to be found. If there were, I would need to get there soon. I could have probably made another day of traveling before getting any more supplies to travel.

So many problems were on my mind, I didn't realize there was something moving in my pack until I felt something crawling on my shoulder. I jumped and shrieked, then fell on my back on the forest floor. What ever it was, it was now on the ground with me. I sat up with a sharp ache in my back, which most likely had a purplish bruise forming now. I looked on the forest floor trying to find what had frightened me. Then I felt something on my lap. The little creature was a light brown color, with a stripe of black and white on its back. I chuckled at myself as I picked up the chipmunk that sent me into an almost panic-attack.

It was nibbling on a cracker from my bag and didn't look at all frightened at me. I held the little chipmunk in one hand and checked my bag to see how much food it ate. Luckily, there was still enough for the day, only a few crackers gone. I closed my bag and swung it around onto my back again. Then I put my hand to the floor so the creature can scurry away. But it didn't move. I gently dropped him- well, I assumed it was a 'him'- to the ground, but he just ran back up my dress onto my shoulder. I laughed at my new companion and how he was so determined to stay with me. I grabbed him from my shoulder and cupped him in my hands, then started walking again.

"Well, little friend" I told him in a playful tone, "if you're going to travel with me, you will need a name." I laughed at the way he looked at me and at my silliness of talking to a chipmunk.

I have never had a pet before; therefore, didn't know how to take care of one, but the thought of having a companion on my long journey made me more joyful.

I pretended to look as thoughtful as ever and looked at him, "Hmm… what about Cracker Jack?" He just looked at me, "You're right, it's a little bit long," I laughed again. This journey was already making me mad.

"I believe Jack would suffice for you, my friend." The chipmunk still sat on my hand, staring at me. But face seemed a bit more amused.

I smiled and told him, "Alright Jack, my name is _Bella Swan_ and I ran away from home to find somewhere else to live."_ This was utterly absurd,_ I thought to myself. Well, at least I had a friend now.

I started talking to Jack about the situation I have been in my whole life, and he reacted to the information as if he knew exactly what I was saying.

It felt good to tell someone about my current situation, even though this 'someone' was a chipmunk that I found in the forest. As I was talking to Jack with him cupped in my hands, I kept tripping over rocks, twigs and thin air. Every time I tripped, my friend's head would shoot up and had an alert look on his face as if something was coming to take him from me. I gave him an apologetic look every time, and I told him once, "I'm sorry, but you'll have to get used to my clumsiness if you are going to travel with me."

He looked at me, and then settled back down to his original position in my hands- he curled into a ball then poked up his head from my hands to continue "listening" to my story.

He fell asleep in my hands, and I carefully put him in my jacket pocket so he could sleep peacefully.

The sun was still out, showing through the clouds a little more. I had no idea how far I traveled from the morning to afternoon, and there was no indication that I would find out soon.

_I should have brought that map with me._

If I did, they would have known where I was headed then. I was not that idiotic.

_At least you could have drawn the map, then?_

Perhaps I was an idiot.

/\/\/\

Hours have passed, and I was tired and hungry. I kept to the side of the train track, only one train zooming by and telling me I was going the right direction.

Away from Forks.

The familiar booming horn of another train sounded and I looked up from the ground. I saw it then.

A large building where many people flooded around the now stopped train. The area around the train station was cleared, so I could see past the building and into the city. I didn't know if I should enter the town and risk being seen or continue walking and risk dying of starvation and exhaustion. The people probably would not even pay attention to me anyway.

The train began to move again, and now there was a significant amount of people gone. The people that had gotten off of the train were already rushing into the building and out the front door. I crossed over the tracks and entered the station. I looked around to find a map of the town or somewhere I could find something small to eat. I found tickets for the trains and the farthest destination the train would go from here was Chicago. I had enough money to buy a ticket and food on the train. I knew I wasn't across two cities in the little time I have been walking, but I was already exhausted from tripping over every thing in the forest. I stumbled over to the small booth where a man in his 60's was snoring loudly. I gently tapped on the glass and the man woke up abruptly. He looked at me and seemed completely shocked.

"May I help you, Miss?" he asked me warily.

"Yes," I answered him, "May I have one ticket to Chicago, please?" I used the most polite voice I had.

"Of course," The man eyed my attire, doubting that I had any kind of money. Then again, I did just come out of the forest after two days of walking. He entered in the price on the register and handed me a ticket.

"Not to be rude, Miss, but I don't think the staff will appreciate you attire this evening," he told me, a sense of worry in his eyes.

I just smiled. "I have extra clothes with me," I informed him as I handed the money to him.

"You may change in the restroom over there if you'd like."

I thanked him and walked into the restroom, quickly changing out of my filthy dress and then stuffing it in my bag. Crackers was still asleep in my jacket, so I just put it back around me. I pulled as many leaves and twigs as possible before the train came.

The train arrived when the sun was about to set, and I came out of the restroom at the sound of it outside. Once I was about to take my first step into the train, I tripped on my own foot, then closed my eyes and braced myself for the pain and humiliation of hitting my face in front of the few people in the train car.

Before I knew it, the conductor steadied me on my feet. "Ticket, please," he said as politely as he possibly could while holding in a laugh.

I gave him my ticket while my cheeks were burning and I stepped up in the train car slowly, so I wouldn't trip over my feet again. I sat in a random booth seat and put my bag next to me. I had my jacket wrapped in my arms enough to make sure Crackers would not disturb the other people, but made sure he still had air. I settled into the cushion of the seat, laying my head on the window of the train. I watched for a moment how the town rushed by, becoming a blur of colors and twinkling lights. I realized that this would the first day since I ran away that I could sleep in comfort.

I thought over what I had accomplished in one day while I closed my eyes and waited for sleep to come. I had made a new traveling friend that never wanted to leave me and listened to my every word. I was not recognized by the conductor or the ticket salesman as a resemblance to the Dwyers. Lastly, I was finally able to move on from the small town of Forks to the city of Chicago in a matter of two days, traveling farther and farther from the past I don't want to remember. I would not have a reminder of the parents that didn't love me.

Thank goodness I could never go back.


End file.
